


No Matter How Far: The Beginning

by flightofmeraxes



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2016-04-03
Packaged: 2018-05-31 01:48:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6450508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flightofmeraxes/pseuds/flightofmeraxes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kind of like a prequel to my original No Matter How Far fic, this is all about how Yennifer met Bull, and is set during the main story line. I wrote for the Trespasser storyline and have been thinking of nothing but what came before that since I finished it, so here goes!</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Matter How Far: The Beginning

"Shit!" Yennifer cried out as the guttural roar of a dragon somewhere overhead startled her, causing her to lose her footing and sending her slipping down the grassy verge on her arse. She was at the Storm Coast with Cassandra, Sera and Vivienne, and she was here to meet with the captain of the Bull's Chargers after receiving an invitation from a very polite young man. She didn't really know what she was getting herself into here. The visitor, Cremisius Aclassi, had told her the captain was a Qunari, and that made Yennifer a little nervous seeing as the only Qunari she'd ever heard of in these parts were the ones occupying Kirkwall not too long ago. She hoped this wasn't some scheme to get the people of the Inquisition converted or something. "Are you alright, darling?" Vivienne called out from the top of the hill, making no effort to come down to help her, instead choosing the stone path nearby to gingerly step down. Yennifer heaved herself back to her feet, wiping the rain water from her cheek. Her hair was stuck to her face and neck, and she shivered in the cold, desperate to meet this mercenary captain so she could get back to the campsite and dry off. When the four of them reached the coast, the sound of fighting was almost as loud as the waves of the Waking Sea crashing into the rocks. Cassandra drew her sword but Yennifer held a hand up. "Wait, let's watch for a moment," she hissed, rushing forward to duck behind a large rock. Sera raced over to crouch beside her, her own eyes watching just as hungrily as the Herald's, whilst Cassandra huffed impatiently before curiosity got the better of her and she bent behind another rock. Vivienne simply tutted and took no interest in what was going on. "That one there, have a look at him," Sera said, pointing to the one who could only be the Iron Bull. Yennifer's eyes widened. She'd never actually _seen_ a Qunari before, only hearing stories about them and how they were notoriously stoic. This one did not go with what she'd heard. He had a huge grin on his face as he swung his axe through the air, cutting through multiple Venatori soldiers, laughing and cheering with his band of mercenaries every time an enemy fell. Yennifer's eyes traveled across the great plains of his body, unable to take her eyes off of him. His skin was almost metallic, a pale grey colour, and patterned with scars and scratches. The thick bands of muscle on his arms moved and rippled impressively with each swing of his weapon, and led down to large, veined forearms that ended in hands the size of saucepans. His chest was bare, and he wore a leather harness strapped tightly around his torso, an armoured patch over his left shoulder, probably to offer more protection on his blind side, seeing as he wore a patch over his left eye. This wasn't his only ailment, Yennifer noticed, catching a glimpse of a metal brace on his ankle, and it seemed he was missing a few finger joints on his left hand. None of this slowed him down, however, and it was plainly clear that he was an incredibly skilled warrior. "Let us help them," Cassandra finally said, snapping Yennifer out of her trance. She nodded to the Seeker and nudged Sera, pulling her daggers from her back as she ran into the fray of battle where she preferred to be. She noticed the Venatori soldiers were wearing good, strong helmets, but also noticed that the helmets did not protect their neck, leaving the vulnerable jugular veins underneath open for business. "Aim for the throats!" she called out to Sera, and with that an arrow whistled past her face and straight into the throat of a charging enemy. He choked out in pain before slumping to the ground, followed by Sera's cries of triumph. Yennifer leaped towards another soldier and buried upwards under his chin, twisting it until his body went limp. Cassandra slammed her shield into the chest of another, and she was on him with her sword before he even knew what had happened. Left, right and centre were human ice sculptures where Vivienne had deployed ice mines all over the ground, and Yennifer could feel the hum of a magical barrier surrounding her. Yennifer couldn't deny that fighting alongside these Chargers was enjoyable. They had good morale and the battlefield rang with laughter, spurring each other on and encouraging one another. It was a refreshing atmosphere as opposed to the usual battles, where everyone acted like it wasn't fun to kill the bad guys and make them suffer in return for the suffering they caused everyone else.   
When the final enemy soldier fell, Yennifer looked around for the Iron Bull, eager to talk business with him. "Chargers! Stand down," came the bellow of the Qunari. Yennifer turned to see him addressing his men, "Krem! How'd we do?" The soldier who had come to speak to Yennifer at Haven approached Iron Bull to give him the report.  
"Five or six wounded, Chief. No dead," Krem replied. The Iron Bull smirked a small, crooked smile and clapped Krem on the shoulder.  
"That's what I like to hear," he said, "Let the throat cutters finish up and then break out the casks." Krem nodded curtly and left to address the Chargers, so Yennifer stepped forward to introduce herself. She noted how the Iron Bull's eye looked her up and down as though he was sussing her out, but he seemed friendly enough. "So, you're with the Inquisition, huh? Glad you could make it," he smiled, gesturing to a cluster of rocks nearby, "Come on, have a seat, drinks are coming." She nodded and followed him to the rocks where he sat down with a huff, rolling his shoulders and resting his forearms on his knees. Even sat down, his face was still almost level with Yennifer's, and now she was finally close to him she could really see just how huge he actually was. Her face reddened when she noticed him grinning at the look of awe she'd had on her face whilst staring at him. She cleared her throat and tried to put on her business face. "So..." she began, "You must be the Iron Bull?" He laughed and nodded.  
"Yeah, the horns usually give it away," he teased. She cringed at herself, wondering how much of an idiot she must look, but her look of embarrassment was met by another friendly smile, telling her he was probably used to people being awkward around him. "I assume you remember Cremisius Aclassi, my lieutenant," Iron Bull continued, gesturing to Krem, who had come to stand beside her.  
"Good to see you again," Krem said, bowing his head politely, "Throat cutters are done, Chief."  
"Already?" Bull replied, arching his brow, "Have them check again. I don't want any of those Tevinter bastards getting away. No offense, Krem!" The Bull chuckled, but Krem just snorted and turned to walk away.  
"At least a bastard knows who his mother was. Puts him one up on you Qunari, right?" Krem called back over his shoulder, sniggering to himself as he left. Iron Bull laughed loudly, shaking his head.   
"So, you've seen us fight. We're expensive, but we're worth it, and I'm sure the Inquisition can afford us," Iron Bull said.   
"So how much is this going to cost me, exactly?" Yennifer asked, unsure whether she was allowed to just make deals without permission from her advisors.  
"Wouldn't cost you anything personally, unless you wanna buy drinks later," Iron Bull laughed, "Your ambassador, what's her name? Josephine. We'd go through her and get the payments set up. The gold will take care of itself, don't worry about that. All that matters is we're worth it." Yennifer frowned. How did he know Josephine's name? Had he been in contact already? What was he playing at? She rubbed her chin, thinking about what to say next. It was obvious he knew more than he was letting on.  
"The Chargers do seem like an excellent company," she said, watching as a look of pride took his face.  
"They are," he smiled, "But you're not just getting the boys. You're getting me. You need a frontline bodyguard, I'm your man. Whatever it is - demons, dragons - the bigger the better." He stood up then, towering over her as he led her away from the main group, far enough away that the crashing waves would drown out her conversation. She hesitated to follow him, unsure why he wanted to separate her from her group, but curiosity got the better of her, and she hurried after him. "There's one other thing, might be useful, might piss you off," he continued, "You ever heard of the Ben Hassrath?" She had heard a little about them, but not enough to sound like she knew what she was talking about.  
"They're a Qunari organisation, right?" she said, "The equivalent of the guard and city watch?" He nodded, taking a deep breath before carrying on.   
"I'd go closer to spies, but yeah, that's them," he said, "Or, well, _us_..." He waited for her to freak out, but she just stood there and stared at him, waiting for him to explain. "The Ben Hassrath are concerned about the Breach. Magic out of control like that could cause trouble everywhere. I've been ordered to join the Inquisition, get close to the people in charge, and send reports on what's happening. But I also get reports from agents all over Orlais. You sign me on, I'll share them with your people." It was clear he was finished talking, and an uncomfortable silence followed as he waited for her to say her piece. She thought to herself about the trouble a Qunari spy could cause the Inquisition, not sure if she was comfortable knowing he would be telling the Qunari everything they were doing. But what spy just announces themselves like that?  
"You're a Qunari spy and you just... told me?!" she asked, shaking her head in disbelief.   
"Whatever happened at that Conclave thing, it's bad. Someone needs to get that Breach closed," he replied, "So whatever I am, I'm on your side."  
"You still could have hidden what you are," Yennifer pointed out.   
"From something called the Inquisition?" he laughed, "I'd have been tipped sooner or later. Better you hear it right up front from me."  
"What would you send home in these reports of yours?" she asked, crossing her arms in an attempt to look like she possessed more authority.  
"Enough to keep my superiors happy, but nothing that would compromise your operations," he replied, "The Qunari want to know if they need to launch an invasion to stop the whole damn world falling apart. You let me send word of what you're doing, it'll put minds at ease, which is good for everyone."  
"And what's in the reports you're offering to share?" she pressed.  
"Enemy movements, suspicious activity," he smirked again, "Intriguing gossip! It's a bit of everything. Alone, they're not much, but if your spymaster is worth a damn, she'll put them to good use." Yennifer stiffened at that.  
"She?" she asked suspiciously.  
"I did a little research," Iron Bull admitted, "Plus I've always had a weakness for redheads." He laughed and a dreamy look flashed across his eye. Yennifer blushed slightly when she found herself cursing her own brown hair. She took a deep breath, realising it was time for her to make her decision. He watched her with a carefully level expression, not giving anything away.  
"You run your reports past Leliana before sending them," she said, firmly, "You send nothing she doesn't approve. If this turns out to be a trick, or if your reports compromise the inquisition in any way, Cassandra will eat you alive." The Bull turned to look at the Seeker, who was standing with her arms crossed in the distance, watching them both like a hawk.   
"Wouldn't have it any other way," he laughed, turning to shout to his lieutenant. "Krem! Tell the men to finish drinking on the road, the Chargers just got hired!" Krem sighed and shook his head.  
"What about the casks, Chief?!" he whined, "We just opened them up, with axes!"  
"Find some way to seal them," Iron Bull replied, laughing, "You're Tevinter right? Try blood magic."


End file.
